Venetian Plaster Materials, Training & Support

Later this month we will be traveling north to teach a special 2-day class in Vancouver. Our friends at Greenworks Building and Supply will be hosting this class on the 26th and 27th of April, 2013. Students will get to work hands-on with our Venetian plasters as they learn proper application methods and techniques. This a really great deal that even includes in-store credit for materials to work on your own projects after the course.

Anyone with an interest in working with decorative finishes, whether you are a contractor or do-it-yourselfer, will want to take advantage of this opportunity. We don’t always go to Vancouver, but when we do, you can bet we have some fun with plaster.

We are really looking forward to working with you Canadian plaster pros, so get signed up quickly while there is still room. Since pre-registration is necessary, you will want to visit this page to enroll and get all the details about the course.

There are a lot of great Venetian plaster projects in Seattle, but the Le Grande Bistro might be one of our favorites. Cathy Conner got the nod to outfit the interior with some Marmorino Classic, and the result is, well, pretty appetizing.

Cathy proves that there really is no end to the creativity you can achieve when using authentic Venetian plasters such as Marmorino Classic. As the founder of Studio C, Cathy has always had a love for decorative arts. Before beginning her professional work with plaster, she was established in the field of culinary arts, so it is no surprise that she found herself doing the walls of a restaurant like Le Grande Bistro. Check out her website for info on what else Cathy has been up to, or could potentially be doing next.

Located in Kirkland’s Carillon Point, Le Grande Bistro’s doors are open and while you are there checking out Cathy’s beautiful work, the food should certainly be enjoyed as well. The interior isn’t the only spectacular thing to look at either. Overlooking Lake Washington, guests are able to enjoy a beautiful view while they chow down on some amazing food that has been getting rave reviews on Yelp. See what other people are saying about Le Grande Bistro here. Or you can go straight to their website to check out the menu, see what they have going on for happy hour or make a reservation. Just remember when you’re there to be sure to stop for a few moments and really take in Cathy Conner’s stunning job with Stucco Italiano’s Marmorino Classic.

We always enjoy hearing about your projects and seeing pictures of your work, so if you have something interesting going on with Marmorino Classic or any other authentic Venetian plaster, let us know, because we would love to check it out.

People are becoming more and more concerned about indoor air quality. Homes plagued with VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) or mold can negatively impact the health of the occupants. According to Green By Design, “an estimated 15% of the U.S. population — millions of people — are chronically ill from their homes, and indoor air quality is a major factor.”

The long and short term health benefits of using green building materials to achieve clean indoor air are numerous. It doesn’t make sense to let your home be the reason you are sick. Do something about it and utilize breathable, mold resistant plaster to enhance your quality of life. Natural lime materials dry out quickly and prevent VOCs from building up, which helps with all kinds of respiratory conditions. Authentic Venetian plaster is even self-healing, so it continues to stand the test of time while continuously providing your home with premium indoor air quality.

If you are using authentic Venetian plaster, or have thought about using it, you might want to check out someinfo on indoor air quality around the web:

There is no denying the benefits of using natural lime materials to improve indoor air quality. Have you noticed a difference between working with non-toxic Venetian plasters versus acrylic finishes? Tell us about it in the comments……

I decided to go straight to the sourceand speak with someone who has used Moroccan Tadelakt many times in the past in order to see what other applicators thought of our material. This man is a true professional and even trained in Morocco on it’s use. He did a large steam room with Stucco Italiano Tadelakt and could not stop raving about how much he loved it. It is a truly wonderful material.

This reminded me that I get asked fairly often if our Tadelakt is the “real” Tadelakt. When people ask this they are usually asking if it comes from Morocco. Stucco Italiano Tadelakt is manufactured in Italy.

In our humble opinion, ours is an improved version of the Moroccan material. This is what our applicators are telling us as well. Stucco Italiano Tadelakt looks the same as Moroccan Tadelakt and it has the same chemistry behind it. But due to the Italian refinement in the manufacturing process it is easier to polish and less likely to peel off when it is being polished. On flat surfaces it can be brought up to the highest sheen with only a trowel – a stone is not necessary. So it looks better more consistently and requires less labor. Anything wrong with that?

Here’s the official statement from our website:

Stucco Italiano Tadelakt is manufactured in Italy by Giovanni Polistena. Giovanni’s intentions in developing this Moroccan-style material were to remain entirely faithful to the look, feel, and chemical makeup of the original Moroccan Tadelakt, while creating a more sophisticated, user-friendly product. Enlisting the help and guidance of Moroccan Tadelakt installers, Giovanni spent many months formulating the perfect blend of natural limes, clays, and sands.

Stucco Italiano Tadelakt is now preferred by many installers of Moroccan Tadelakt for it’s beauty, ease of installation, and ability to resist delaminating/detaching from the surface as Moroccan Tadelakt often does in the hands of anyone but the most expert installers. The results speak for themselves – Stucco Italiano Tadelakt is the equal to Moroccan Tadelakt in it’s look and durability, and superior in ease of application, price, and availability.…

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Environmentally Friendly

Stucco Italiano is a member of the US Green Building Council. Naturally high in pH, lime finishes act as an anti-bacterial surface, neutralizing the development of organic substances such as mold and fungus.